Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnatomyFunctionAssociated ConditionsBone Marrow Transplant
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Anatomy
Function
Associated Conditions
Bone Marrow Transplant
The bone marrow is the spongy part of your bones where oxygen-carrying red bloods, infection-fighting white blood cells, and clot-forming platelets are made. The bone marrow is a soft tissue with many cavities located at the center of bones. It serves as the primary stem cell manufacturer of the body and participates in fat storage and bone remodeling.
Healthy bone marrow is essential to living. Sickle cell anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, and aplastic anemia are some life-threatening diseases that occur when the bone marrow fails to function properly.
Jessica Olah / Verywell
Anatomy of the Bone Marrow
The bone marrow consists of bone cavities, a complex network of blood vessels, and two types of marrow—red marrow and yellow marrow.
Red marrow contains blood stem cells that can become red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. These hematopoietic (blood-cell forming) stem cells are pluripotent cells—meaning they’re able to produce several types of cells). They are responsible for the production and maintenance of your blood cells.
Yellow marrow is made mostly of fat. It mainly consists of mesenchymal stem cells—multipotent cells found in the supporting tissue surrounding the bone marrow called the stroma. Mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to develop into a number of tissues, such as bone, cartilage, and fat.
The primary function of the bone marrow is to manufacture blood cells—red cells, white cells, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, whereas white cells help to fight infections and platelets are necessary for blood to clot.
Most of the immune and blood cells in the body are made in the red bone marrow, whereas cells that lead to the formation of bone, cartilage, and fat are made in the yellow marrow. Bone marrow also participates in bone remodeling, the removal of abnormal cells, and the recycling of cell parts used in the formation of new cells.
Your bone marrow makes more than 200 billion new blood cells every day. As you can imagine, it is vitally important to have a properly functioning bone marrow to keep up with the body’s demands.
Blood and immune cells constantly undergo processes of renewal and regeneration. For example, red blood cells have a lifespan of about 120 days, so they need to be constantly replaced.
Diseases of the Bone Marrow
The bone marrow may become damaged or malfunction due to:
Many diseases that affect the bone marrow also affect the bone itself, as the bone and marrow work together to regulate bone remodeling.
Bone Marrow Transplants
Because of a person’s unique genetic makeup, a matching donor—usually a family member—needs to be found. If a genetic match is confirmed, then bone marrow is harvested and readied for transplant.
A bone marrow transplant may be used to:
Bone marrow is most commonly harvested from the long bones of the hips and thigh bones, although active marrow can be found inside the spine, shoulder bones, ribs, breastbone, and skull.
What to Expect From a Bone Marrow Transplant
When Is a Bone Marrow Transplant Needed?
Malfunctioning bone marrow may present with nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, easy bruising, unexplained weight loss, or fever. A person may also have recurrent infections.
If these tests indicate problems, a bone marrow biopsy, genetic screening, and other tests may be performed to further explore a diagnosis.
If cancer or another blood disorder is found to be the cause of malfunctioning bone marrow, chemotherapy, radiation, or both may be used to eliminate the disease. Once the disease is eradicated, a bone marrow transplant may be considered.
Unfortunately, chemotherapy and radiation can sometimes damage the bone marrow and suppress the immune system, simultaneously heightening the potential need for a bone marrow transplant and the risk of its rejection.
Alternative Sources of Stem Cells
There are three other main sources of stem cells that may be used to repopulate the bone marrow.
Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs): These stem cells circulate in the veins and arteries of all healthy people. Patients recovering from chemotherapy and healthy people who are treated with certain drugs that stimulate the growth of the bone marrow have relatively large numbers of PBSCs in their blood. PBSCs can be collected and used in certain situations as a source of stem cells for transplantation.
Umbilical cord blood: Stem cells can be found in the placenta of newborn babies once the umbilical cord is cut. These stem cells have been more frequently used in stem cell transplantation.
Embryos: The use of stem cells is controversial. Ethical reasons have therefore limited their use, although more research is being done to explore the future potential of this treatment.
What to Expect From a Stem Cell Transplant
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cancer Institute.Bone marrow.
Ullah I, Subbarao RB, Rho GJ.Human mesenchymal stem cells - current trends and future prospective.Biosci Rep. 2015;35(2):e00191. doi:10.1042/BSR20150025
Gulati GL, Ashton JK, Hyun BH.Structure and function of the bone marrow and hematopoiesis.Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 1988 Dec;2(4):495-511. PMID: 3065314.
Smith AR, Wagner JE.Alternative haematopoietic stem cell sources for transplantation: place of umbilical cord blood.Br J Haematol. 2009;147(2):246-261. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2141.2009.07828.x
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